THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 13 



"April 30, 1885. While on Kingmoor to-night, 

 I caught a glimpse of a bird moving along the hedge 

 bottom. Its motion at once struck. me as that of the 

 Grasshopper Warbler. Bringing the binocular to 

 bear upon it, as it crept about apparently on the 

 feed, for twenty minutes I caught occasional glances 

 of it, when, at last, I heard its well-known note, 

 but so short and low that at first I could hardly 

 recognise it. This it repeated after two or three 

 minutes interval, the note growing louder and 

 longer each time, until, when I came away, it 

 being too dark to see, the Grasshopper Warbler 

 was in full sonof." 



The sibilant cry or song of the Grasshopper 

 Warbler starts a little before dusk, and is sustained 

 all night in warm summer weather, usually ceasing 

 about 8 a.m. But the danp-er of doo-matisino- too 



o o o 



nicely on such a point is well shewn by the fact that, 

 when studying the numerous Warblers which haunt 

 the extensive scrub north of a little village on the 

 Rhine, in July, 1884, we were positively amazed by 

 the noise as well as the abundance of Grasshopper 

 Warblers in a certain quiet corner. There they 

 were, reeling away most noisily around us, with as 

 much energy at midday as if the hour had been 

 5 a.m. The thickets were very dense, and the 

 peasants followed regular tracks, so that the birds 

 were secure from all intrusion and had lulled their 

 apprehensions to rest. 



The nest of the Grasshopper Warbler is most 

 difficult to find ; at least all those which we have 

 met with have been most carefully concealed. The 



